He Could Be The One: A Jamko Story
by MichelleO33
Summary: It's been over a year since they confessed how they feel about each other. They have been nothing but platonic since. Now, Eddie has a date with someone else. A Jamko story!
1. Chapter 1

Jamie dropped heavily into the driver's seat of the RMP and handed Eddie one of the two cups of coffee he was holding.

"Here you go, Shorty."

"Thanks!" she replied cheerily, warming her hands around the cup.

"So, what do you say we hit Anton's tonight?" He reached around to grab his seatbelt. "It's been a few weeks, and believe it or not, I'm actually craving some ribs."

Eddie squirmed slightly in the passenger seat. She shifted the coffee cup in her hands and took a slow sip to avoid answering for another moment. "Umm...rain check? I actually have a date", she said, trying to sound casual.

Clearly caught off guard by her response, Jamie paused, his mouth hanging open just slightly. It had been a long while since she made any mention of dating anyone. After a beat, he cocked his head slightly, asking, "Really? On a Tuesday?"

"Yeah, well, we're off tomorrow and he happened to have the day off also, so…." She shrugged and took another sip of her coffee.

"Off on a Wednesday? What does he do?", Jamie inquired. He felt that familiar quickening of his pulse that was unavoidable whenever Eddie spoke of a date with someone else.

"He's actually on the job too. Not NYPD...he's in Jersey." Eddie half-mumbled that last part into the lid of her drink.

Jamie couldn't help the scoff that escaped his mouth.

"Oh, shut it." she chuckled, rolling her eyes. "We met at that holiday fundraiser Haley dragged me to last weekend. He's nice. You'd actually like him."

Nodding slowly, Jamie pressed his lips together tightly before asking, "And he knows you're a cop?"

"Yes...he does. Why?" she furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes at her partner.

"But has he _dated_ a cop before?" he shot back, slightly more pointedly than he intended.

Eddie settled back in her seat, leaning slightly on the door behind her. "Jeez, this is quite the inquisition, Reagan. What's your problem?" she asked gently.

"No problem. It's just you've had issues in the past with guys not being able to handle you being a cop. I just don't want to see you get hurt again. That's all." He busied himself settling his coffee cup in the cup holder before meeting her gaze again.

"That's all?" she asked, leaving the question hanging between them.

Jamie gave a hard swallow and clenched his jaw slightly as he turned to look out the front windshield. Eddie couldn't help but notice how the taut muscles there bulged slightly. She had to look away, always finding his jawline more attractive than she should. "Yeah, that's all" he replied quietly.

Eddie cleared her throat and sensing the seriousness in the car, tried to bring some levity to the moment. "Well, I haven't gotten his full dating history just yet, but I will be sure to find out and give you a full report by start of tour on Thursday." She wrinkled her nose at him, which was always his undoing. He rolled his eyes and eased out of the parking spot, carefully checking over his shoulder first.

"Just looking out for you, partner." he replied coolly, shooting her a tight smile as they headed back to the station.


	2. Chapter 2

"And because I'm _such_ a nice guy," Jamie said, spreading his fingers wide and pressing them to his own chest, "I will finish writing today's reports by myself so that you can get out of here."

Eddie looked up at Jamie as they walked into the squad room together. "And what will _that_ cost me?" she asked suspiciously.

"Whaaat?" he slowly drew out the word, allowing a coy smile to play across his face. "I'm honestly offended that you would think this is anything but a noble gesture."

Eddie stopped walking, and planting both hands on her hips, looked at him expectantly.

"I get to pick our lunch spot for a week…" he blurted out quickly as he pointed at her with both hands and then turned towards their desks.

Dropping her hands from her hips, she moved quickly to catch his arm and spin him toward her. "Rabbit food for a week?! No way. No deal. I'd rather do the reports myself."

Jamie raised his hands in mock surrender. "Fine," he chuckled. "Suit yourself."

Just then, from the other side of the room, loud laughter erupted from a few guys standing together. Eddie and Jamie looked over to see what was going on. To Eddie's surprise, her date for the night was standing with Maldonado and Price, all three doubled over in laughter.

"Doug?" Eddie called out, approaching the group cautiously. Jamie followed a step behind. She thought they had agreed to meet outside the precinct, and she certainly wasn't expecting to see him chatting it up with two of her fellow officers.

"Eddie!" Doug took a step toward her but kept a respectful distance. "Hey...I hope you don't mind that I came in. I was waiting outside like we planned when I ran into this guy," he said, flicking his thumb toward Maldonado, "and he insisted I come in to catch up."

"You guys know each other?" she asked with a short laugh.

"Yeah, we went to highschool together and I had the good fortune of being assigned as his mentor my freshman year-"

Maldonado jumped in, "Hey! I was _your_ mentor, knucklehead!"

"Well, that's how it was _supposed_ to be, but I ended up tutoring him in math and civics and being his designated driver when he went to all the senior parties. You know I didn't even have my license yet, right?" Doug said, turning back to face Maldonado.

"Yeah, I figured that out after you ran over Mrs. Zamborski's family of garden gnomes!" Maldonado could barely get the words out before doubling over again. "I guess you hadn't earned your merit badge for safe driving yet!"

Eddie cocked an eyebrow at Doug who had lowered his head to his hand and was shaking it with an exasperated chuckle. "Merit badge?" she echoed.

"Guilty as charged. I was an Eagle Scout and my old pal here loves to bust my chops about it." Doug admitted, going slightly pink in the cheeks. "But you weren't complaining when I put my first aid skills to work after you fell out of your window sneaking out to meet up with Tricia Adams!" he called to Maldonado.

Eddie looked back and forth between them, laughing alongside, as she pictured Maldonado falling out of his bedroom window.

"Anyway, I'm sorry. I'm sure the last thing you want to hear are old high school war stories." Turning to his old friend, Doug promised to meet up with him soon and they exchanged a warm hug. Maldonado walked away, still laughing to himself as he headed to the locker room.

Returning his attention to Eddie, Doug noticed another officer standing beside her. Jamie had been taking in the entire exchange between Doug and Maldonado. He couldn't help but smirk at their antics, but he was also busy sizing up Eddie's date. He was different from her usual hipster-type. He was clean-shaven and wore jeans and a fitted, black collared shirt with boots. He was fit, muscular but slim, and God help him, he reminded him a lot of himself.

Doug extended a hand, "How you doing? I'm Doug O'Connell…"

"Jamie Reagan. Eddie's partner. Nice to meet you."

"Reagan? Any relation to _the_ Reagan's of the NYPD?" Doug asked.

Used to this by now, Jamie nodded his head and replied that yes, he was one of _those_ Reagans.

"Wow... It's a pleasure to meet you. The commissioner of my department idolizes your father. I recently listened to one of his podcasts on improving community relations. He's a brilliant leader and must have been an incredible cop on the street." Doug said earnestly.

Eddie turned to Jamie, "Your father does podcasts?" she asked skeptically.

Jamie shrugged. "That's news to me. Sounds like something Garrett cooked up."

Doug continued, "He actually has a whole series. You should check them out. They are really worth the time-" He stopped himself suddenly and took a deep breath. "Okay, I am going to stop embarrassing myself now by gushing about my occupational man-crush…"

Jamie and Eddie both gave a genuine laugh. "No, it's fine. He would be flattered. And I agree with you. He's one of the best", Jamie nodded as he spoke. He couldn't help but think that Eddie had been right. This guy was nice. And Jamie _did_ find himself liking him. But as he listened to Doug, he tried to ignore the growing feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something about this guy had Jamie wondering if he could be the one that finally took Eddie from him forever. Jamie looked at her smiling broadly at Doug and he suddenly felt out of place. "Well, I am going to finish up some reports. You guys have a good time." He turned to Doug and extended his hand. "It was nice meeting you."

Doug shook it warmly, "Likewise. And we should all go out sometime. I promise not to spend the whole night yammering on about your old man."

Jamie laughed softly and nodded his agreement as he lifted his hand in a silent goodbye. He was approaching his desk when Eddie caught up with him.

"Hey! What are you doing? I told you 'no deal'. I'm helping with those reports", she announced as she grabbed a stack of papers off his desk.

"Eddie." The seriousness in his voice caused her to look up quickly. "Go have fun. I got the reports." She dropped her chin and lifted her eyes. She opened her mouth, about to protest, when Jamie cut in. "-and you know you always pick our meal spots, so I don't know who we're kidding here." Her face broke out into a small smile as Jamie continued. "Go on. Get out of here." He gestured with his chin towards the locker rooms.

"Thanks, partner. You're the best!" she said happily as she cuffed him on the arm, scampering off to go change.


	3. Chapter 3

Jamie paced outside the women's locker room. He had finished the reports _and_ gotten changed and Eddie was still inside getting ready. He could hear her humming to herself from the other side of the door. He was shocked at how long it was taking her. Usually, she was the one waiting on him, and bursting into the men's locker room unannounced to hurry him along. His stomach clenched at the idea that she was spending extra time getting ready in preparation for a date with someone else.

When he couldn't wait any longer, he knocked on the door. "Eddie? You decent?"

"Yeah, I'm just finishing my makeup. Come on in…" she called back.

Jamie slowly opened the door and slid inside the small room. Eddie was standing in front of the mirror, leaning in, applying a coat of shimmery lip gloss. "What's up?" she asked, still looking in the mirror.

She looked so good it hurt. Wearing dark jeans and a black fitted top, along with a pair of high-heeled boots, she looked incredible. For the second time that day, his mouth hung slightly open, as he was suddenly at a loss for words. As she spun to look at him, a mass of blonde waves fell over her left shoulder.

Noticing his expression, she let out a puffed laugh and bit her lower lip. "Thanks, Reagan."

His brain finally reconnected with his mouth. "Uh...thanks for what? I didn't say anything."

"That look said it all and it was _quite_ the compliment," she answered with a flash of her eyebrows. She dropped her chin to her chest and let out another chuckle. "So what's up? If you decided you needed help with those reports after all, you're too late. I'm about to walk out the door."

A sad smile tugged at one side of his mouth. Her words, ' _You're too late_ " echoed in his mind.

He took a deep breath and held it for a beat. "Nothing..." He exhaled. "I just wanted to say I hope you have fun tonight."

She flashed him a suspicious squint, but seemed to let it pass. "So, what'd you think of Doug?" she asked.

"Seems like a good guy. I mean, you can't go wrong with an Eagle Scout." he quipped.

Eddie threw her head back and laughed. "I know!" she boomed. "And that doesn't seem to be the only similarity. I think you guys might be soulmates…" she mused in a sing-song voice. "Oh right, sorry. I forgot that you don't _believe_ in soulmates." she said with an exaggerated eye roll.

Jamie slid his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and looked down at the ground in front of his boots as his stomach clenched, yet again. He cleared his throat and looked back up at Eddie. "Yeah...well. I'm going to get going. I'll see you." He tried his best to smile and he turned to the door.

"Jamie…" She said his name so softly he wasn't sure if he had imagined it.

With his hand on the doorknob, he half-turned back to her.

"Nevermind." she said. "I'll see you Thursday." She returned his weak smile and watched him close the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Eddie's arm was looped through Doug's as they approached her building. The temperature had dipped throughout the night, and Eddie leaned into him for warmth as they walked.

"This is me…" she said, slowing to a stop and nodding her chin at the building in front of her. With her hands in her pockets, she scrunched her shoulders up towards her ears and bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. Doug slid his hands out of his jacket pockets and placed them on Eddie's upper arms, which he rubbed up and down a few times.

"I had a really nice time tonight." He smiled sweetly, exposing a deep dimple in the side of his cheek. "And I hope you did too because I would love to see you again."

Eddie gently bit her lower lip. "I did. And I would like that. A lot." She smiled back at him and slowly breathed in as Doug tipped her chin up so she could meet his lips in a soft kiss.

When they parted, he squeezed her arms gently and said, "You should get inside. It's too cold to be out here."

She nodded her agreement and started to make her way up the stairs of her building. Nearing the landing, she turned back towards him. "Thank you for tonight. It was perfect." He flashed her another smile and removed his hand from his jacket pocket to wave as she keyed into her building.

Letting the heavy door close behind her, Eddie leaned back against it for a moment. She closed her eyes and replayed their kiss in her mind. As she did, the memory of a different sidewalk kiss that had taken place in that very spot, floated into her mind. Eddie's eyes snapped open and she forced the memory back down. She sighed heavily and started up the steps to her apartment, wondering if Doug could be the one to finally rid her heart of Jamie Reagan.

As if the memory of their kiss had conjured him into existence, Eddie rounded a corner to see Jamie sitting outside her apartment door. His knees were pulled up close to his chest, propping his elbows up, and his head rested in his hands.

"Jamie?" she asked with with an edge of panic in her tone. At the sound of her voice, he lifted his head. "Are you okay?" She took a few quick steps towards him.

"Eddie, hey." He started to work himself into a standing position, reaching back with one hand to push off the ground behind him. "Yeah, yeah. I'm...fine. I just was in the neighborhood and thought I'd come by."

The confusion spread across her face as she approached him. "You were in the _neighborhood?_ It's after midnight", she said slowly.

"Yeah, I-", he started. He reached his right hand up behind his head and gave it a few soft scratches. "I'm not really sure what I'm doing here actually." Giving her an apologetic smile, he huffed out a breath and let his hand fall back down towards his hip.

By this point, she was close enough to realize he was a few drinks in. He was by no means drunk, but she knew him well enough to know when he'd had a couple. It was just enough to force down his guard, exposing a little vulnerability. Normally, those were her favorite times with him. The constant concerted effort to remain professional would be dropped and they would be completely at ease with each other...even crossing the line on a few occasions. But tonight, it didn't endear him to her. It made her angry.

Shaking her head, she began, "You can't do this, Jamie. You can't."

His hands in the back pockets of his jeans, he gave a half shrug with a slight tilt of his head. "Do what?"

She cocked her head and gave him a look that said ' _you know exactly what I mean'._

She pressed her lips together tightly and looked away from him. "Jamie, I like Doug. I like him a lot. He's...different. He's-"

"-a lot like me." Jamie cut in, looking down and toeing the ground with his boot.

Eddie started again. "He's someone I can see myself being with. But I'm going to mess it up, like I've done in the past, because I can't seem to move on from…" she moved her hand back and forth in the space between them, "...from whatever _this_ is."

"Eddie-"

"No, Jamie. Please." She held her hand up as if keeping him in place and took a ragged breath in. "We can't be together. But we can't move on. Or at least _I_ can't." She paused. "Did you know tonight was the first date I've been on in over a year? Over a year, Jamie. Since that night I came to your apartment to tell you how I felt about you. For a year I've been...waiting. Waiting for something to change. Waiting for my feelings to change or..." She took a deep breath and restarted. "For a while, I really thought you were _the one_ and that I just needed to wait for our circumstances to change. But nothing has changed." She nearly whispered those last words, the anger she felt a moment ago was now replaced by sadness.

"Look, Eddie." He wanted to stop this conversation from going where it clearly seemed to be going. "Can we just go inside for a minute?" He took a step toward her door.

"No. We can't." She shook her head. "We can't keep doing this...and I can't keep waiting," she said sadly, fighting the tears that threatened to build. "You are the best partner and my best friend. But this is never going to be anything more than that." She opened her mouth as if to say something else, but then closed it again. Instead, she turned and keyed into her apartment, letting the door close behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

Jamie felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach. Taking shallow breaths, he lifted his right hand to her closed door and rested his fingertips and forehead against it. He closed his eyes and tried to think of what to do. But he could barely breathe, nevermind, think rationally.

He wanted to knock. He wanted to tell her that he hadn't been on a single date in all this time either. That the thought of her being out tonight with someone else had nearly driven him insane. He wanted to tell her that he was ready for things to change. But he couldn't. Even if he could find the words, he knew her, and she wasn't going to open the door tonight anyway. So he lifted his head and trailed his fingers across her door as he walked away.

Walking down the front steps of Eddie's building, Jamie's head was still spinning. They'd had arguments before. They'd even had conversations about their "will we/won't we" relationship before. They always ended with Jamie and Eddie determined to stay friends and partners, but inevitably they'd always ended up sliding back into that gray area. But this felt different. There was a finality to this conversation that sat like a rock in his stomach. He ran an open hand down the length of his face and exhaled heavily. Sliding his phone from his back pocket, he dialed the number to the 12th precinct.

Inside her apartment, Eddie paced. She walked from room to room with no purpose. Finally, she sat on the edge of her couch, opening and closing her hands in an effort to stop them from shaking. She blew out a deep breath and mumbled aloud to herself, "No other choice." As confident as she was that she had done the right thing, it didn't change the fact that she felt as though she'd ripped out her own heart and left it in her hallway. She interlaced her fingers and dropped her forehead onto her knuckles. She couldn't believe she had just told Jamie that she 'thought he was _the one'._ But she pushed that regret aside. After all this time, she owed it to him and to herself to be honest. Because the truth was, she really thought at some point they _would_ end up together. She had held onto that hope for too long, only to realize that it wasn't going to be. She didn't want to leave anything unsaid as she turned the page on this _thing_ between her and Jamie. And Eddie knew that's exactly what she needed to do. But it still hurt like hell.

She pushed herself up off the couch and headed to her freezer for a pint of ice cream and a spoon. Screw the bowl. This was a whole pint kind of situation. She plopped back down on her couch and turned on the TV. She flicked through the channels, not really in the mood for her usual go-to of ESPN. As she scrolled through the channel guide, she found exactly what she needed for this night: _Remember the Titans._ Balancing the spoon in her mouth and the pint of ice cream on a nearby couch cushion, she unzipped her boots and curled her legs underneath her. She would let herself wallow for tonight. But tomorrow, she would turn that page, and call Doug.

A/N: Thank you for reading and for those of you leaving reviews! You have really motivated me to continue with this story. Sorry for the short chapter...I just felt like I needed a bridge to the next one. I am hoping to post that one soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Eddie slung her bag over her shoulder and walked into the station, readying herself to see Jamie for the first time since that conversation in her hallway. It was unusual for an entire day to go by without them speaking, but she wasn't surprised given the situation. She did, however, speak to Doug yesterday and they planned to have dinner again that weekend. Despite what was happening with Jamie, she was really looking forward to seeing him again.

"Janko!" Renzulli barked out as Eddie passed his office door.

"Hey, Sarge. What's up?"

"Just checkin' on your partner. I can't remember the last time he banged in sick like this. Off 'til Monday? He must be pretty hurt up."

Luckily, Renzulli was shuffling through papers on his desk as he spoke to her. Otherwise, he would have seen the look of shock on Eddie's face. Regaining her composure she managed to answer, "Um…yeah. He's hanging in there. Definitely seen better days but I think he'll be okay."

"Well, tell that pain in the neck to rest up and we hope he's feeling better. You're riding with Ventura until he's back."

"Will do, Sarge, and sounds good. See you at roll call." Eddie walked out of Renzulli's office and shook her head. Again, while not entirely surprising, she was a little taken aback that Jamie hadn't at least given her the heads up.

She spent the next two days worrying about Jamie and wondering if she should text or call. He hadn't reached out so she assumed that he simply didn't want to speak to her. The weekend approached and she still hadn't heard from him.

Eddie planned to sleep in on Saturday morning but the buzz of her phone woke her around 9. She leaned across her pillow to her nightstand where her phone lay charging. Instinctively, she knew it was Jamie. Who else would call this early on a Saturday? So she was surprised to see it was actually Doug's name lighting up her screen.

"Hello?" she answered with what she hoped sounded like a wide awake voice.

"Hey...good morning. Did I wake you?" his deep voice asked back.

"No…" she replied, but he let a long pause linger between them. "Okay, yes..." she chuckled.

His deep laugh rumbled back at her. "Damn, I'm sorry. Go back to sleep. Call me when you're up and at 'em."

"No, no. I'm up. Really." she said through an extended yawn.

He chuckled again. "Well, I know we weren't supposed to meet until tonight for dinner, but I just checked the forecast. It's going to be close to 60 today and you just don't get many days like that in December. I was considering a run up the West Side Highway High Line and was wondering if you wanted to join."

Her mind immediately jumped to the near-dozen times that Jamie had made that same request. Each time she had scolded him for waking her, demanded he bring bagels over when we was done, and proceeded to cover her head with a pillow and go back to sleep.

Placing her palm on her forehead, she shook her head to clear away her thoughts of Jamie. She was going to have to make a concerted effort to stop noticing the similarities between the two of them. She quickly decided that taking Doug up on his offer was a surefire way to break from her Jamie habit. "Sure! Sounds great", she replied.

"Are you sure? I know that's kind of a weird second date…"

"I'm sure", she said with a genuine smile and they agreed on a meeting place at 9:30. Eddie rolled out of bed, and groaned as she attempted to dig her running sneakers out of the back of her closet. _Turning the page, Janko. Turning the page…_ she thought to herself as she blew the dust off her sneakers.

Eddie yawned and stretched both hands over her head. She dropped her head back and let the sun warm her face. She had arrived a few minutes early so she had parked herself on a nearby bench and was taking in the view. The sun sparkled off the river as a few seagulls danced together in the wind. A group of young mothers pushing strollers walked by and a teenager on rollerblades zoomed past. She couldn't believe how many people were out at this hour, but considering the unseasonably warm temperatures she figured everyone must be out today. She noticed the familiar Harvard sweatshirt before she noticed that it was actually him. However, it was clear that he had seen her and it was too late for either of them to pretend he hadn't.

He slowed to a walk as he neared the bench. He put his hands on his hips as he took a second to catch his breath. "Hey...well, this is unexpected" he said, and he couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth as he took in the site of her in running sweats and sneakers, hair pulled back into a high ponytail.

"I could say the same thing about you. Looks like you're feeling better, huh?" she asked drily.

He dropped his chin to his chest and puffed out another large breath. Lifting his eyes to meet hers, he opened his mouth, ready to explain that these last few days had been brutal without her and he'd spent them feeling sorry for himself under a mountain of beer bottles and take out boxes. But before he could begin, he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. There was something up with the trains." Then, noticing Jamie, his face broke into a friendly smile. "Jamie, right? Good to see you again. Are you joining us?"

Jamie looked back and forth between Eddie and Doug, both dressed for a run, and finally put together what was happening. The look of hurt on his face nearly broke Eddie's heart. She took a quick breath in, trying to think of something to say, but Jamie beat her to it.

"Next time. You actually caught me at the end. I'm done." he replied coolly.

"Are you sure?" Doug pressed.

"Oh, yeah. I'm sure. I'm _definitely_ done." And by the way he was looking at her, Eddie knew he was talking about more than just his run.


	7. Chapter 7

Jamie spent the rest of the day driving upstate. He had no particular destination in mind; he had just needed to get out of the city. He drove for hours, eventually stopping at a lookout near the Bear Mountain Bridge. It was such a gorgeous day -undoubtedly a courtesy gift of global warming- he sadly mused to himself.

His thoughts kept returning to Eddie sitting on that bench in running attire. He wasn't sure why it had bothered him so deeply. It was just a run. But part of him felt like it was a window into her 'new' life with Doug. The fact that Jamie had asked her a number of times to join _him_ on a run up the High Line just added some extra sting to the situation. Of course he wanted her to be happy. He had just always assumed that it would eventually be with him. But he'd waited too long for life to realigned itself on his behalf. And she'd moved on.

Looking out at the Hudson, he sighed deeply. He bent to pick up a nearby rock and slung it sidearm out over the guardrail. He turned and walked back towards his car to continue his drive.

* * *

The sun was setting by the time Jamie crossed the bridge back into Brooklyn Heights. He was all too aware that the long drive had done little to get his mind off Eddie. So in true Reagan fashion, he turned to his family in his time of need.

As he parked his car, he pulled his phone from the console.

"Hey, kid. What's up?" Danny answered.

"Not much. I was just wondering if you wanted to meet up for some drinks. I think I owe you a round." Jamie attempted to sound cheerful.

"Yeah well, me and the boys were just about to put up the tree…"

"Oh, gotcha. Another time then," Jamie replied.

Lowering his voice, Danny answered, "But seeing as how this is gonna be the first time doing this without Linda, I got a feeling I'm gonna need a few afterwards." He cleared his throat quietly. "You get started without me. I'll meet up with you in a little while. The Fireside?"

"Yeah,The Fireside works. I'll see you over there. Hang in there, Danny. She's with you…"

"Thanks, kid. See you in a bit."

* * *

Danny waded through the packed bar looking for his little brother. He was normally perched on a stool at the bar top, but Danny didn't see him there. He pushed towards the back of the room, turning sideways to squeeze through the crowd. That's when he saw him. In the back corner, Jamie was sitting on a tall chair with his back against the wall and Eddie was standing between his knees and was pressed against him, chest to chest. Danny's eyes followed her blonde waves cascading down her back and watched Jamie slide his hands from her tiny waist down into the back pockets of her jeans. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and were working their way up into his hair. _You gotta be kidding me,_ Danny thought. Everyone assumed Jamie and his partner were more than just friends, but this blatant display of affection was ridiculous. _They'd better have already requested a transfer that I don't know about,_ he thought. It wasn't until she pulled her lips off Jamie, that Danny realized that the woman in Jamie's arms...wasn't Eddie.

Danny cleared his throat loudly. "Sorry to interrupt…"

Jamie peered around the girl's shoulder to see his brother standing there with his arms crossed. "Danny!" he shouted loudly.

And with just that one word, Danny could tell how far gone Jamie was.

"This is my big brother Danny!" Jamie called out to the girl who had now turned around and scooted sideways up onto Jamie's lap. She hung one arm lazily around his neck and was fingering a button near Jamie's collar with the other.

Without looking up, she answered, "Nice to meet you…" and then dipped her head to nibble on Jamie's ear.

Danny raised his eyebrows at his brother. "New friend of yours?" he smirked.

"Yeah, this is Christie" Jamie said.

"Crystal…" she corrected him between kisses on his neck.

"Uh, sorry. This is Crystal," he said with a chuckle.

"Well, _Crystal…_ while you seem like you're...great company, I think I'm gonna need a few minutes alone with our boy here." Danny said with a sarcastic wrinkle of his nose.

"But I thought you were going to show me your handcuffs later…" she pouted seductively, batting her lashes at Jamie.

Danny swallowed a laugh and gently guided her off his brother's lap and towards a nearby waitress. "Would you mind getting her a glass of water, please?" Then turning back to Jamie, "Alright, lover boy, get your coat. Let's go."

"What? No, let me buy you a drink!" Jamie protested.

"I think you've had enough for the both of us. Come on. You can buy me a cup of coffee across the street."


	8. Chapter 8

Jamie and Danny slid into opposite sides of the diner booth as the waitress placed cups of coffee in front of each of them. "Thanks," said Danny, "and keep it coming for this one", he said, gesturing towards Jamie. "Alright, kid. Spill it."

"What?" Jamie replied defensively.

"Whaddya mean ' _what'?"_ Danny scowled. "What's got you drowning yourself in-" Danny leaned in and sniffed the air in front of Jamie's face, "-whiskey, and gettin' handsy with that pretty young thing in public? I mean, I have to admit that part of me is proud, but that's not your usual style. Sooo...spill it", Danny commanded.

Jamie looked out the window to his right and watched an elderly couple crossing the street arm in arm. He sighed softly and then turned back to face Danny. There was no point in trying to lie to him. He was a literal detective. "Eddie" is all he said.

"Uh, yeah. I assumed as much seeing as how _Crystal_ could pass for her long-lost twin. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that ain't no coincidence. So what were you doing? Hoping she'd show? Trying to make her jealous?"

"No...trying to get over her I guess. She's dating some new guy and it seems like it's going good, so…" He let his words trail off as he took a sip of his coffee."

" _So…"_ Danny echoed impatiently. "Are you going to tell her how you feel or are you just going to let her ride off into the sunset with some other guy?"

"She's my partner-" Jamie started but Danny quickly cut him off.

"-Oh, would you shut the hell up with the 'she's my partner' bullshit already? It's been four years of that. Are you in love this girl?" Jamie looked back at him blankly, unsure of what to say. " _Are you?_ " Danny pressed.

"Yeah. I am." Jamie replied softly.

"Well, then take it from a guy who recently buried the love of _his_ life...there is no damn time to waste in this life. I would give anything, literally anything, to have one more _day_ with Linda. But she's gone. And you are letting _years_ go by without going after your girl. There's no time for that, Jamie." Danny spoke adamantly, punctuating each word.

Taking in his brother's words, Jamie dropped his head into his hands and raked his fingers through his hair. "I think it's too late. I really do."

Narrowing his eyes at Jamie, Danny replied, "Maybe it _is_ too late. I don't know. But you don't know either. But unless you want a lifetime of wondering, you better go find out."

Jamie nodded slowly. "You're right…"

"Of course I'm right", he quipped back.

"I gotta go find her", Jamie said quickly, beginning to move out of the booth.

"Uh, not so fast there kid. Not tonight. Tonight you finish your coffee and go sleep it off. _Tomorrow_ you go get your girl", he winked at him. As Jamie settled back into the booth, Danny mumbled, "I swear, I think all that law school rotted your brain…" and he took a final sip of his coffee.


	9. Chapter 9

After waking with a wicked hangover the next afternoon, Jamie spent a few hours lounging around his apartment. While some parts of the previous evening were a bit blurry, he remembered his brother's words very clearly. He spent a good part of the day thinking about what Danny had said and what to do about this whole mess he found himself in. It was dark by the time he worked up the nerve to call Eddie.

"Hey…"' she answered the phone. Her voice sounded a little unsure.

"Hi. I, uh, hope this isn't a bad time." He paused. "I was wondering if it would be okay if I stopped by for a minute."

She chuckled lightly. "Since when do you call before stopping by?" She realized the answer to her own question immediately after she had asked. "Um, I mean, yeah. Of course. Come on by," she quickly added.

"Okay, thanks." He replied. "I'm heading over now…" _before I lose my nerve,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

Jamie raised his hand to knock on Eddie's door. Remembering the last time he had stood in that same place, he took a deep breath to steady himself. The door eased open and Eddie stepped to the side.

"Hey, come on in." she smiled softly. "It's freezing out there. I can't believe how quickly the weather changed. It's so crazy." She closed the door behind him once he had stepped through it. "Let me take your coat." she said reaching toward him.

"Um, no, I'm good. Thanks. "Jamie kept his hands in his pockets. "I'm only going to stay a minute."

"Okaaay…" she stretched out the word. "Do you want to sit at least?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He took a step towards the couch but then stopped. He decided it was best to just stay where he was and say what he came to say. "I, uh, just came to tell you something. This past week has been really hard but it has made some things really clear for me." Eddie's whole body tensed as if bracing for impact. She crossed her arms in front of her chest subconsciously into a defensive position. Jamie took another deep breath. "I've told you before that I have feelings for you. But that's not entirely accurate…"

"Jamie…" she started to interrupt.

"No, please." He raised his hand to stop her, mirroring the same gesture of hers from a few days ago. This time it was his turn to get a few things off his chest. With a final inhale, he said it. "I'm in love with you." A slow smile spread across his face as he finally uttered the words aloud that he knew in his heart to be true for years. "I can't imagine myself with anyone else. You are a part of me in a way I can't really describe. Danny always busts my chops telling me that law school rotted my brain. And, on a certain level, I agree with him. I mean, it obviously didn't _rot_ my brain, but it made me so damn logical and rational, that I have a hard time turning that part of me off. I make decisions that are all head and no heart. That's the only way I can explain why, for years, I have talked myself out of pursuing this. We are really different in a lot of ways...I mean, if I am all head and no heart, than you are _all_ heart and -"

"-watch it…" she interjected with mock scowl, causing him to chuckle.

"And _less_ head." He smiled and took a step toward her, his hands now out of his pockets and gesturing easily towards her. "I know you are starting things with Doug and you seem to be happy and I'm not trying to mess that up for you. But the other night you told me you thought I was the one." Eddie cringed at the memory of her confession. "And I just need to tell you that I _know_ you are the one for me. You're... my person." He shrugged and smiled sweetly at her as her eyes filled with tears.

Eddie opened her mouth to speak, and again, Jamie stopped her.

"I don't want you to say anything. This is a lot to take in and I really want you to think about it. If you want to see where things go with Doug, then I want that for you. But if you are ready for us to request transfers and see where this goes between us, then I want that. I really want that. I'm ready." His face broke out into another smile as he spoke. "But either way, this is a big decision because I'm not sure we can go back from this. I'm not sure we can pretend to be just friends anymore. At least I don't think _I_ can. So, take as much time as you need and think about it. But know that I'm ready if you are." He took two steps backwards. "I'm going to go." He nodded towards the door. "I will, uh, see you tomorrow." And with that, Jamie turned and left a stunned Eddie standing in her apartment. He closed the door softly behind him and lingered in the hall for a minute. He felt an overwhelming sense of calm and peace. After years of fighting himself, it felt so good to admit to her how he felt and accept the possibility of a path forward together. Contentedly, he walked down her hall and turned the corner towards the stairwell.

It was then that he heard her door open and the patter of her little socked feet running after him. "Wait!" she called out breathlessly as she rounded the corner and nearly plowed into him. "Wait." she repeated, more softly this time. She took a breath in. "That was all the time I needed." She smiled widely. "I'm in love with you too. And I can't spend another minute pretending that I'm not or pretending that a nice guy who reminds me too much of you is going to change that." She looked down and laced her fingers through his. "You are the only one I want to be with." He squeezed her fingers as she bit her bottom lip.

"I'm really happy to hear you say that. Otherwise, things were going to get _really...weird."_ The corners of his mouth pulled up into a smile until his lips could no longer hide his teeth. He tugged her to him and they released hands long enough for him to lace his fingers together behind her back as she interlocked hers behind his neck. "I know things are going to be different now. But I am so ready... I love you." He dipped his head and softly captured her lips with his.

After so many years of dancing around the line and then crossing and re-crossing it, it felt so good to finally take the plunge they had both been too scared to. But in that moment, they both realized that it didn't feel like a plunge after all. It felt like jumping off a cliff and realizing you could actually fly.

* * *

A/N: Thank you for reading my first story! All the reviews have been really encouraging! I am considering a re-write of this story and swapping the storyline to create " _She_ Could Be The One". Happy New Year!


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